1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to game boards, specifically boards used for playing the game of backgammon.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to Hoyle, the game of Backgammon preceded even the ancient games of Chess and Parcheesi. In fact, the game of Backgammon dates back to before the Greeks and Roman periods. In England around 1750, the rules of Backgammon were established by Edmund Hoyle. The only change to the present day has been the introduction of the doubling cube 65 (See FIG. 1 for Backgammon equipment) which significantly increased the reward for skillful playing. The playing surface 14' is square or rectangular, consisting of 24 triangles, called points 12'. The 24 triangles are divided into four quadrants of six triangles each. Separating the quadrants is the spine of the board which is referred to as the bar 16. The quadrants are defined as a player's home or inner board and his outer board and the opponent's home and outer board. The triangles alternate in color. Each player is provided with 15 checkers 62 and 66 of differing colors. Two dice cups (not shown), four dice 64 and doubling cube 65 complete the equipment list.
The game is essentially a race to be the first player to move all his/her checkers to his/her home board and then to "bear off", that is, to remove his/her checkers from the board wins the game. There are numerous variations of the play by which the objective is achieved. The most popular variation involves the use of the doubling cube which shortens the length of play and allows a player to capitalize on a superior position. The use of the doubling cube is particularly well suited for tournament play. Backgammon tournaments are played for prize money and have become particularly popular over the last thirty years. Frequently, the tournaments are used for raising money for charitable organizations.
In addition to the doubling variant, numerous other variants are common. Chouette is a version that enables more than two players to play. Acey-deucey is a favorite Backgammon variant in the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Merchant Marine. Russian Backgammon starts the game with all checkers (called "stones" in this variant) off the game board at the start. Dutch Backgammon also starts in this manner but, unlike Russian Backgammon, stones are entered on the adverse home quadrant or table. Snake is still another variant where one play starts with all stones on the board and the other player starts with nine stones on the bar. In each variation, the terminology for the equipment and moves may vary but the equipment is standard.
Variations in the layout of the points (triangles) has been proposed, U.S. Design Pat. Nos. 260,661 and 261,284, issued to Thomas, are representative of this genre. However, these designs have not achieved commercial success as the traditional layout established for hundreds of years is well entrenched.
Other improvements have sought to enable the board and remaining equipment to be carried in a case. U.S. Design Pat. No. 261,535, issued to Tawil, discloses a combined Backgammon game and carrying case.
Still others have attempted to provide four player capability such as that disclosed by Riley et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,593 or provide a Backgammon board in combination with other playing surfaces on a cube assembly as disclosed by Oake in U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,362.
However, a Backgammon board that is designed for the traditional rules and equipment, yet makes the game more enjoyable by permitting customized, changeable playing surfaces and an automatic checker dispensing and storage system is not found in the prior art.